Cobras slither into lead

Closer Rene Miniel of the Macoto Cobras pitches against the Whales on Sunday. The Cobras defeated the Whales 4-3 to complete a three-game series sweep. PHOTO: MACOTO COBRAS

Hsieh Jia-shien's two solo home runs in Sunday's series finale powered the Macoto Cobras past the Chinatrust Whales to a 4-3 win that capped off a three-game sweep for the serpents as they rose to the top of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) standings for the first time this season.

The 4-3 win was just one of a dozen beatings that the Cobras have tallied over a 14-game span in the past month, giving the former Taiwan Major League powerhouse a one-game lead over the second-placed Sinon Bulls, as they head into the home stretch of the first half of the season.

Rookie Lin En-yu pitched six innings of five-hit ball in the Cobras win, allowing an unearned run while fanning eight and walking one, to improve to 6-2 for the year.

Fellow Rene Miniel nearly blew the save opportunity by allowing a two-run single in the top of the ninth to make it 4-3, but he managed to get the final two outs with runners on second and third to preserve the win.

Cobras 3, Whales 0

Starter Hsu Chu-jien and Miniel combined to blank the Whales in a three-hit gem at Hsinchu to open the series on Thursday, where the serpents ruined Whales reliever extraordinaire Shen Yu-jeh's starting debut in a 3-0 decision.

Designated Chiou Chang-rong's RBI line drive up the middle in the fourth inning was more than ample as the Cobras kept the Whales from reaching second base until the top of the eighth.

Cobras 13, Whales 2

Veteran Luo Ming-ching's first career grand slam on a humid summer night led a Cobras attack that rang up 13 runs on 15 hits against four different Whales pitchers.

The Cobras sent 12 men to the plate in an eight-run fourth inning that helped build a commanding 11-1 lead that put this one out of reach for the Whales early.

Lefty Lin Ying-jeh got a rare four-plus-run support in his fifth win of the year, beating his counterpart Brad Purcell of Australia with six innings of one-run ball before the bullpen finished off the job in convincing style.

Bears 10, Bulls 6

The La New Bears ran their winning streak to five straight with an unprecedented four-game sweep of the Bulls.

Following 8-2 and 9-4 wins over the defending champs in Kaohsiung on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, the home Bears put 10 runs on the board in Friday's 10-6 final that featured catcher and game-MVP winner Chen Jau-ying's first career homer.

A six-run first by the Bears, highlighted by Chen's three-run blast off Bulls lefty Jeff Andra, put the Bulls into a deep hole, even though the offense scored six runs.

American Matthew Beech got his first win since joining the Bears in late-May, with seven solid innings of work.

Other surrendering a pair of unearned runs in the game, the former Philadelphia Phillies standout was spectacular in his third CPBL start, scattering four hits while fanning seven Bulls.

Bears 6, Bulls 1

Victor Rodriguez's 3-for-3 night with three RBIs led the way for the Bears in a 6-1 win that clinched their first series sweep of the year.

Resurging man Lin Chih-sheng drove an offering from Bulls reliever Geraldo Padua deep into the leftfield bleachers for a two-run, pinch-hit home run to blow the 4-1 game wide open in the seventh inning.

Travis Wade of the US picked up his third win as a Bear with a two-hit performance from the mound. He allowed the lone Bulls run in the top of the fifth on a double by catcher Yeh Jung-chang that scored the runner all the way from first base.